Project type
Electric and other utilities acquire easements for distribution lines, substations and service infrastructure. The strips are narrower than transmission corridors, but the restrictions are real.
Utilities acquire land and easements to build and maintain the network that delivers service. That includes distribution lines on poles, underground conduit, service roads, substations and metering facilities.
Line work is usually an easement. A substation or a facility site is usually a purchase of title. The two are valued differently and the questions worth asking differ accordingly.
A utility easement typically grants the right to build, operate, maintain, inspect, repair and replace facilities within a defined strip, together with a right of access to reach it. It also usually grants vegetation management rights, which is how a wooded strip becomes a cleared one.
The right to keep a strip clear does not expire when construction ends. On wooded or landscaped property that is often the change owners notice most.
A substation site is a fee purchase with a permanent neighbour attached. Noise, lighting, screening and the effect on the value of the surrounding remainder are the questions, and they are addressed through the after value.
Related property types
Start with your situation
Learn what the notice may mean and what information you may want to review.
ExploreSituation 02Understand how property acquisition through eminent domain may begin.
ExploreSituation 03Explore questions related to property valuation and compensation.
ExploreSituation 04Learn about issues property owners may consider when they disagree with an offer.
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Common questions
The structure is similar. Utility easements usually carry vegetation management and access rights that matter more on wooded or landscaped property.
Vegetation management rights inside the strip are standard, and they continue after construction. The maintained width is worth pinning down in the document.
A substation site is normally a purchase of title rather than an easement, and the effect on the surrounding remainder is a separate question.
Access for inspection, maintenance and repair is part of what the easement grants. Where and how they enter is a term worth negotiating.
Next step
Understand what the easement grants before you sign it.